Dear Ann, I agree with most of your message, but not all of it.
Like you, I have an old DOS-running PC and a Windows PC, so I don't need to use the email or the browser. But, it would be nice to be able to get email and surf the web when I'm not home. I'm one of the few people who happens to be home most of the time. Now, the part I disagreed with was this. You suggested if a person wanted a braille display to use with their laptop the Brailliant would be the best thing to buy. No, I think the BN PK would be a better buy. It's designed to be used with a laptop but it also has the advantages of allowing a person to write documents without lugging the laptop along. The Brailliant is just a braille display. I've used braille displays since 1991 and I wouldn't want to return to a situation where I couldn't read and edit documents without relying on a laptop. The BN has spoiled me in that regard! I'm not saying I don't appreciate an ordinary braille display, it has been a blessing since 1991. And the BN was a snap to learn because of my previous experiences with the Navigator and PB40. But you don't get the bang for your buck, so to speak, if you buy the Brailliant instead of the BN or BN PK. I can't remember all of them, but I'm sure the BN PK can do more things than a Brailliant can. Everyone must decide what their needs are, but I wouldn't recommend a BN PK if a person wants to emboss or print documents from their notetaker. In that case, the BN 18 or 32 would be the best. If a person can't afford a BN and they want a good, functional notetaker which will read braille books aloud and perform all of the functions the BN can do, then I'd recommend the VoiceNote. I don't think any of us want to go back to the days when we had to rely solely on paper braille and lug around heavy volumes and always being left behind becuase you didn't bring the right volume with you. That, to me, is one of the best selling points for the BrailleNote family. Terri Pannett, Amateur Radio call sign KF6CA. Army MARS call sign AAT9PX, California ----- Original Message ----- From: "Ann Parsons" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Braillenote List" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, August 05, 2004 6:03 PM Subject: RE: [Braillenote] BN PK re missing files and E-mail problems : Hi all, : : Actually, Richard's original message makes a lot of sense. I have : said this before. <smile> I'm probably one of the people who has : repeated the monthly message. He's right. If you want a unit with : lots of memory and the ability to handle lots of email and to go to : most of the web pages on the net, then you want a laptop or notebook. : If you must spend thousands of dollars, buy a Brailliant. Then you : would have the right tool for the job. : : I think that many people do not really understand this concept. : Having their units given to them, as Paul suggests may lead to the : purchase of the wrong tool for the job at hand. However, if you : purchase your BN yourself, then it behooves you to truly understand : what the blessed machine can and can't do. It's like the difference in : guitars. If I wanted an electric guitar, I would buy the best one I : could afford, I would buy all the wow-wow, thingers and reverb stuff : and an amplifier that would do the thing credit. However, if I wanted : an acoustic guitar, I would buy a martin, and then I would learn how : to make it sing! : : I admit that waiting for wireless support for the BN is hard because : it is something that is really needed. Waiting for improvements is : always hard. However, there is a difference between waiting for : improvements and expecting your beautiful acoustic guitar to all of a : sudden sprout wires and turn into an Electric guitar with wow-wow and : so on. : : Frankly, if I were spending the money, and indeed I did the research : because I didn't want the state to spend the money for something I : couldn't use, I would make it my business to know as much about each : note-taker on the market as I could. Not only that, I would take a : good, solid hard and practical look at my needs as a computer user. : <smile> If I were Paul, e.g., I'd have purchased something else, : maybe. : : I chose the BrailleNote for a couple of reasons. First, I wanted the : braille display, and I didn't want something that was detachable. : Second, I chose a BrailleNote because I thought I might be able to : help train others to use both it and the GPS. Third, I needed a : device that would be small and portable and could be taken to : students' houses or wherever with ease. : : I didn't need it for email, have a computer, in fact more than one : here. Didn't need it for the web, though I do use it for browsing : occasionally. Might use the modem to download email if I'm away from : home, but I'm not away that often. Fourth, I wanted to read etexts. : : I got what I needed. The state paid for it, but I got what I needed : to do the job I needed to have done. Did I see the BrailleNote's : lacks? Sure, I did, but they were outweighed by its pluses. : : The problem is that for some, not all, buyers the ability to evaluate : needs and weigh them against the capabilities of a note-taker or : laptop is not there. They can't evaluate because they do not have the : knowledge to do so. That's why there are computer tech trainers. : Unfortunately, the remark about the small size of our market share is : apt. If more people used BrailleNotes, development would go faster, : waiting times would be cut in half. <smiling sardonically> I don't : think that the Triffids are going to land any time soon. So we're : stuck with the economic conundrum the way it is. Don't lose hope, : Paul, things will improve. Hey, if not, you can always sell your BN : to somebody who wants it and buy the tool you really need. : : Ann P. : : -- : Ann K. Parsons : email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] : WEB SITE: http://home.eznet.net/~akp : "All that is gold does not glitter. : Not all those who wander are lost." JRRT : : : ___ : To leave the BrailleNote list, send a blank message to : [EMAIL PROTECTED] : To view the list archives or change your preferences, visit : http://list.pulsedata.com/mailman/listinfo/braillenote :
